LAS VEGAS β Fifteen seconds after halftime was all Allonzo Trier needed to crack the code for what could help the Arizona Wildcats go deep into this postseason.
He raced downcourt on Arizonaβs first possession of the second half, shook off a little Colorado defense, and fired it to an open Lauri Markkanen on the right wing, just beyond the 3-point arc.
It went in.
Markkanenβs shot gave Arizona a 41-37 lead that the Wildcats never lost again in their 92-78 Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal win over Colorado at T-Mobile Arena.
With five players in double figures and the Wildcats shooting 55.6 percent overall, they were probably going to move no matter what to 28-4 and into the Pac-12 semifinals Friday at 9:40 pm.
But the fact that Markkanenβs once-unstoppable 3-point shot resurfaced for the first time in three weeks, with him going 4 for 7 from long range, could be precisely what the Wildcats need to keep playing for another few weeks.
Trier was only too happy to be the one helping him find it.
βI pushed on transition and Lauri trailed me and I found him for a wide-open 3,β Trier said. βIt was great to see. It allowed him to get really comfortable.β
While Markkanen has remained productive around the basket in recent weeks, even picking up the Pac-12 Player of the Week award after UAβs sweep in Washington last month, his 3-point shot had fallen off dramatically since January.
Markkanen was a 50.5 percent 3-point shooter through January but hadnβt hit a 3-pointer since Feb. 16, going 0 for 11 from long range over his past four games. He made 14.2 percent of his 3-pointers in his last eight games.
Being the stoic and confident Finn that he is, Markkanen said he wasnβt worried about it too much.
βOf course, itβs nice to make shots but I wasnβt worried,β Markkanen said. βI was making shots in practice. I had confidence shooting the ball all the time. It was nice to see it going in, but Iβve just tried to be a versatile player and mix it, do damage close to the basket.β
Markkanenβs efforts paced a balanced Arizona offensive attack that basically had everyone going except reserve guard Kobi Simmons, who played just a handful of minutes (six) for the second straight game yet said afterward he didnβt mind if the team was winning.
Markkanen was 4 for 7 from 3 and 5 of 9 overall, Trier added 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting while also making 6 of 7 free throws. Dusan Ristic had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Rawle Alkins also had 15 points and Kadeem Allen had 13.
The Wildcats shot 55.6 percent overall while holding Colorado to 39.3 percent despite the torrid scoring of Buffaloes guard Derrick White, who had 31 points on 9-for-19 shooting.
Colorado never got much help for White other than senior forward Xavier Johnson, who had 20 points on 7-for-17 shooting.
That was a relief for UA coach Sean Miller after the Buffs won nine of their previous 12 games entering Thursday.
βWhen I watched them play the last several days and then last night, it made us sick,β Miller said, βbecause you work so hard to get a high seed in the conference tournament and it almost felt like we were playing a team that was one of the top five.β
After leading by just a point at halftime, UA went on a 10-0 run to begin the second half, holding the Buffaloes scoreless for the first 4:24.
The Wildcats went ahead by 13, 52-39, when Alkins hit a 3-pointer with 15:11 left, though a 3-pointer from Deleon Brown cut it to 54-47 and prompted Miller to call a timeout with 12:06 left.
UA then went on a 12-1 run from there to pretty much put the game out of reach, going ahead 66-48 on a layup from Ristic with 9:43 left. The key to the run was when Trier picked up a foul from behind the 3-point line despite having only two seconds left on the shot clock.
Trier didnβt even have a good look at the basket but managed to lure Colorado forward Wesley Gordon into fouling him.
βI came off a ball screen and they kind of switched, and I knew I had a couple of seconds left so I dragged it and I dragged it,β Trier said. βI shot-faked it and tried to get open air and he bit on the shot-fake. It was just being smart, knowing there was a big guy there and heβs not used to guarding a perimeter player like me.β
The Wildcatsβ success in the second half, after they led just 38-37 at halftime, gave Miller reason to believe there could be much more in store.
βSometimes when youβre in bed at night as the head coach, you say, do we have it? Do we have that will?β Miller said. βWe have it. Whether we win or not, itβs not going to be because of the lack of effort or passion. β¦ Hopefully we can keep this going, whether itβs this week or next week.β
